i have been using almond butter more and more in every day things, and i've come to like it more than peanut butter (well, sometimes i like it more). usually i buy a small jar, as almond butter is super expensive. but this time around i decided i was going to make my own. i was really inspired by this blog post and this one, and thought i would give it a try. no one warned me of the insanely loud (wake-the-dead) noise my food processor would make in the first few seconds of grinding. it was so loud that i moved the processor across to the other side of the apartment and put it on top of an ottoman to hopefully drown out some of the noise. at first the almonds become this big unruly lump, then they begin to come together. after about 10-12, you will notice that the engine of your food processor will get quite warm, at this point you're seeing the almonds turn into butter. it's a really cool process to watch. i'm not sure i would do this weekly (for fear of the food processor exploding), but it was definitely worth it!

these cookies were really inspired by a recipe that used bananas both as a binder and a sweetener. however, almond butter, unless sweetened, is not so sweet. therefore, i played around a couple different times, with a few different flavors. the result is a really good cookie! it's almost brownie-like, but not as rich. the cookies are made with almond flour and oat flour, but you can substitute those for whatever flours you like. just be careful of the dry to wet ratio if you're planning on using sugar, you may want to add more almond butter or even almond milk if your batter is too dry or thick.

almond butter + mocha chip cookies

makes about 20 cookies

1 cup almond butter

1/2 cup raw agave nectar

1/4 cup coconut oil, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup oat flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons finely ground decaffeinated espresso

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt + a pinch more (if you're using store bought almond butter, take note of how much added sodium there is. you don't want to be doubling the amount of salt)

5 - 6 ounces 70% cacao dark chocolate, roughly chopped

directions

pre heat oven to 350°

line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

· in a large bowl, combine the flours, cocoa powder, espresso, baking powder, and salt. set aside

· in a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut oil, and agave

· add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine until ingredients are mixed. add chocolate chunks

· using a tablespoon measure, scoop out the batter forming balls. place on baking sheets leaving about 2 inches between each ball